Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 29, 2008, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page 14 whats old new again t he scandalously Long list of Manitoba children who died because child welfare supports were inadequate to the Job has finally wrenched some Prospect of meaningful change out of the system. In looking South now for a mechanism to prevent family breakdown and crisis Manitoba is in some ways looking Back. In the mid and late 1980s this province too believed preventive child welfare was key to keeping families intact and children healthy. Oddly enough that was in the Days of the last nip administration. Led by Howard Pawley the government gave to former family services minister Muriel Smith the Job of handling the rising number of families for whom state intervention was a necessity. As caseloads Rose children were dying for Lack of Good care or Good state programs tailored to the communities in which they were delivered. The increasing populations of inner City aboriginal families ran headlong against a system of non aboriginal highly centralized agencies. Is. Smith increased funding and launched a decentralized family services Model which put child welfare workers into the neighbourhoods of High need with prevention programs to address weak parenting or social malaise within the Home. Child welfare agencies spending Rose in step logging annual deficits that the nip administration repeatedly covered. It was in operation a few years before a change of government led the Filmon tories to re centralize get out of prevention work and Clamp Down on Agency budgets. Whats old is new again. Today family services minister Gord Mackintosh following up on a clarification written into child welfare Law to put a Childs safety As the primary interest of any intervention says a Model of Early intervention with families in place since 2000 in Minnesota will be introduced in Manitoba. It is a separation of the child Protection and the crisis prevention work among social work staff that has allowed the state to convince families in need that government assistance ultimately can keep the family together. Minnesota is showing impressive results with its program. In Manitoba the expanded reach of the agencies mandates will require More resources from which workers can draw services tailored to the needs of parents and children. That will mean More Money. Recent moves by the Federal government to strike agreements that adjust the Way child welfare is funded for Reserve based families will make More dollars available but the province will be on the Hook for the biggest share of the increased expense. Preventing family breakdown is an expense that will need careful management but one that cannot be denied. Opting to step in after a crisis hits can have deadly results. Editorials Winnipeg free press monday december 29, 2008 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights a 14 comment editor Gerald flood 697 7269 Gerald. Flood free press. My. Ca Winnipeg repress. Com have your say the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697 7412. E mail letters free press. My. Ca letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg free press or its staff. Poll vote online at wow. Winnipeg repress. Com rude to pedestrians Winnipeg Drivers have absolutely no consideration toward pedestrians. They would rather hit them than slow Down and let them Cross even at pedestrian crosswalks. I walk to work every Day and let me Tell you most Days i have to Dodge vehicles left and right. Recently at 42 celsius i waited for a dozen cars to go by at a crosswalk. Finally after a dozen went through cars started to Stop and i was thinking thanks a lot you Are Nice and warm in your cars and nobody is thinking about the poor pedestrian who is freezing and Waits patiently for the cars to Stop or not. Recently i was crossing at Provencher and tache going West and the cars were so far into the intersection that i had to weave Between them and the Drivers looked at me As if i were from another planet. A few Days ago at the same intersection a half tonne truck was turning right on Provencher and i was crossing Provencher going South the pedestrian Light came on at the same time As the Green Light came on for vehicles and the truck almost hit me swerved to miss me and the Driver gave me the Finger and a few Choice words not realizing that i had the right of Way. Sylvie Anne Pinel Winnipeg pragmatism dangerous re useful discourse hard if one must defer to Lunatic fringe dec. 19. The problem with being pragmatic in economic affairs is that without the guidance of a coherent set of established principles gleaned from the hard lessons of history pragmatic Man is doomed to keep repeating the same foolish but pragmatic looking mistakes of the past. This tendency to keep shooting oneself in the foot is Why pragmatism should be considered either the dumbest or the most dangerous of economic ideologies. David Sherlock Winnipeg we voted for them re City of contradiction dec. 18. Nicholas Hirst is Correct in his observation of Winnipeg being a City of contradictions but i am tired of hearing the blame for an apparent Lack of vision being continually placed at the feet of our elected politicians. We need to remind ourselves who voted these people into office and learn to become much less taken Aback when things fall Short of expectations. Yes weave seen Progress but until weave reached the Point where private investment can drive this Economy we will forever be at the mercy of the whims and fortunes of governments something in which we appear to be placing Little Faith. Dan Donahue Winnipeg improve bus shelters i would like to raise a concern about bus shelters in the City. I find there Arentt enough of the fancy shelters with the heated seats available. I catch a bus every Day with two Young children on main Street and Higgins Avenue and it is very cold out. Its a shame that on this Street there Isnit a decent bus shelter thatus warm enough. The one thatus there is too Small and cant fit enough people in it. The City should provide a warm bus shelter at main and Higgins. There Are a lot of elders and children who would make the Good use of it. Elizabeth Linklater Winnipeg Young Napers pushed out one May suppose that a 30 year career in Ottawa would hold All of the challenges necessary to diminish or completely exhaust the ambitions of any person. Bill Blaikie can reflect on his years in Ottawa and be proud of the things he has been Able to accomplish. Leaving the Field with ones honour and reputation intact would be a desirable outcome and a Well timed departure would have left open the provincial Field to the younger people of his party with the enthusiasm to serve not just govern. These younger members of the nip were persuaded not to run in Elmwood Transcona and Are now forced to sit at the political childrens table. They should be angry and demand their Chance to serve. Only the debilitating factors of the age and the arrogance of the Manitoba nip have prevented them from doing so. The most galling aspect of by Aikiens political manoeuvring is the subject of his income. Blaikie will receive an annual Federal my pension of $ 122,000. If elected to the Manitoba legislature he will receive $ 83,700 As a member and Likely another $ 44,000 As a member of the provincial Cabinet. Ultimately he will receive another pension from the provincial government. This practice is commonly referred to As double dipping. If Blaikie were to become the Leader of the provincial nip he would receive further remuneration that would see his income approach $ 300,000 a portion of which is tax free and mostly indexed to the Cost of living. Jim Brennan Winnipeg were a fortunate people i am sending All the citizens of Winnipeg man., Canada my seasons greetings a very merry Christmas and a Happy hanukkah. And to All the other cultures living in Canada celebrating another Holiday at this time of the year my Heartfelt love goes out to you As Well. In reality we Are All our Brothers keeper. At this time of the year i usually leave my protagonist approach to life behind. I focus on How fortunate we Are to live in this fabulous City and country. One is Wise to avoid comparing the self to others however to bring healthy and grateful thankfulness to the forefront sometimes it requires us to open our eyes and observe the world surrounding us. The atrocities occurring in other countries including the natural disasters inspire me to drop to my Knees and thank g d. I was fortunate to be born in Canada. With All our collective and personal struggles to overcome we Are blessed to live in this great country Canada. Hart Peikoff Winnipeg Britney Worth More stars re Britney Spears circus review dec. 6. Circus is Britney Spears sixth studio album also known As her comeback. Britney has Given us a beyond Par album. On circus there is absolutely no doubt that brit eyes vocals Are there. There is a huge difference Between circus and blackout. Blackout was a much Darker album in terms of sound. C circus is meant to bring Back the Britney pop songs and it has done More than just that. Amazing vocal ballads can be found on circus with songs such As out from under and my baby. Brit eyes vocals on blackout were digitally changed on some songs but with circuit is Clear that those vocals Are definitely hers and pure. The digital altering that you hear on circus is nothing More than sound effects with her voice no voice altering. Circus As a pop album is not just comfortably Standard but extraordinary. Each song in circus is brilliantly produced. So for anyone to be Able to say that Britney is copping Madonna or that anything would be an improvement is obviously being repossessed by bringing brit eyes dark past into her very Bright future in her career. The review of three stars out of five Given to circus by free press writer Melissa Martin is not fair considering How excellent and entertaining circus actually is. My review for this album is 4.5 stars out of five because no one and nothing is perfect. Nikki Levandoski Winnipeg Winnipeg free press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 vol 137 no 49 2008 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian newspapers limited partnership published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697 7000 a member of the Manitoba press Council Bob Cox / publisher Margo Goodhand / editor to Days question should the Federal government reopen the abortion debate previous question do you think the conservative government should turn pos secondary funding for aboriginal students into repayable Loans yes 43% no 56% total 5,229 letter of the Day North Winnipeg shafted re All Over the map dec. 20. Not quite All Over the map really just the map of South Winnipeg. The City can find Many millions of dollars for the streets of South Winnipeg but wont cough up pocket change for one bus shelter on Leila Avenue a major route in Garden City to provide some degree of Comfort and shelter for people who want to ride the bus from the suburbs to downtown Winnipeg. When will the politicians of Winnipeg end this historic discrimination against North Winnipeg Judy Herscovitch Winnipeg Park the police the City of Winnipeg is considering an administrative recommendation to Cut the number of Park police in half to seven from 14 As a Cost saving measure but it should consider going the full distance and eliminating the department entirely. The Cit yes Parks need supervision and monitoring but they dont need a separate police Force of any size. Real policing is provided by the Winnipeg police service whose members Are equipped and trained to handle the most extreme emergencies. Other duties such As Locking and opening Parks regulating traffic and deterring vandals can easily be provided by private Security firms. The idea of eliminating the Park police which Cost $ 1.1 million in 2007, was first raised last year in a report by the economic Opportunity commission which recommended a wide Range of budget cuts land sales and the contracting out of non Core services in an Effort to offset the planned phasing out of the business tax which generates about $ 56 million a year. Mayor Sam katzes plan to eliminate the business tax has grown a Little vague since then but the principle that the City focus on its Core services remains valid. The City has already successfully contracted out recycling and garbage collection. Road and Bridge construction is done mainly by the private sector under City management. Snow Clearing and removal is also done mainly by private firms. The Public is no worse for the Wear and probably a Little Richer. In the Case of Park police it has never been Clear Why the City needed a separate constabulary. Winnipeg Gas Parks Are relatively quiet in Winter but they can become boisterous and noisy meeting grounds for Young people in the summer. Police the real ones with guns and years of Street experience Are frequently called to Deal with dangerous driving drug use fighting and excessive noise in the Parks. The Park police the ones without guns and minimal police training simply Arentt capable of resolving the serious criminal activity that does occur. The City believes it would be prudent to retain seven Park police officers and hire seasonal staff to assist them in monitoring Park activity during the summer. A better plan would be to Issue a tender for the work in the private sector where Many firms Are capable of doing the work. The Cit yes alternative service delivery committee which is supposed to study these concepts should be handed the file to determine if there Are any Good reasons Why the City get out of the relatively simple business of opening and closing Park Gates and monitoring the activity and traffic within their boundaries. A 14_ dec 29 08_ Grey. Ind a10 12/ 28/ 08 7 41 10 pm ;